Low water

This picture shows the river that flows through our town The water level is almost as low as it will go. We have had more or less no rain now for 6 months(although we had a storm last night which prompted me to take this photo). Next month will get hotter and hotter until the temperature reaches the 40s. We might get a bit of rain but it is not until May that the rainy season starts in earnest . Once it starts it doesn't really stop until September/ October(the season that is,not the rain which usually follows a pretty regular pattern of 2 hours downpour in the afternoon)The rate at which the river rises once the rain starts is phenomenal. Within just a couple of months the water is up to the bottom of the houses which you can see on stilits in the picture.There will be boats moored outside the houses and lots of fishing going on. It's a fast flowing river which worries me when children jump in to swim from the bridge. People wash themselves in the river and also their clothes,vehicles ,pots and pans and food. It really is a river of life. Families who don't live close to it travel on tractors with huge containers which they fill and take to their homes.One of the many things I like about the rainy season is that it becomes possible to travel by boat through the rice fields to towns and villages rather than using the bus or taking a moto. Ferries are quickly set up and for a very small amount of money will transport you and your belongings wherever you need to go. It is a beautiful and peaceful way to travel